Fresh off of a stop in Minneapolis where the band worked on the recording of Mike’s next solo album, the band sounded tight together but seemed to either be losing steam or lacking interest. Either way, you can tell that these sort of festival gigs are not Doughty’s favorite, especially considering the recent cadence of the tour (Tour tour tour, record, tour tour record). I can imagine that it would be somewhat exhausting and possibly irritating to keep switching gears like that.
Perhaps though, the band might have pumped out one or two songs in preview of the new album…but alas, that was not to happen as the band charged through the same basic set list they’ve been playing since May when “Haughty” was released. All criticism aside, this was a fun show; a novelty for some and an obsession for others. The followers of the first church of Doughty were outnumbered but not out danced by the festivalgoers. Beware the coming of Doughty, if this next album picks up the momentum of “Haughty Melodic”, the legions will follow.
Next up we have the critical darlings, My Morning Jacket. Here’s a band that was around for a while, then disappeared and now, is back and more popular than before, a nice peek-a-boo act if you will. This southern-fried rock group sounds at times like a more down home “Coldplay” and other times like the bastard child of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Pink Floyd.
Dipping into their back catalog while still sampling heavily from their new album, “Z” it was obvious that the band has retained its following as well as adding to it. A set that at times had the crowd rocking and at other times quietly jamming along, shows the range of the band to go from country rock to alt rock to jam band in the blink of an eye.
However you slice it, the boys from Louisville, KY, are red hot right now. If you’re a fan, I’d compare the experience to seeing a young Coldplay, Radiohead, or dare I say Pink Floyd. Lin Brehmer of WXRT proudly declared the band to be “The Savior of American Rock”. While I wouldn’t necessarily say that, I can say that My Morning Jacket is not hurting the cause and I bet they’ll sell a few records along the way.
Q: What is there to say about Ray Davies that hasn’t already been said?
A: Not much.
The Ex-Frontman of “The Kinks”, “Godfather of Brit-pop”, and all around ROCK GOD performed a set of songs mainly from his first solo release “Other People’s Lives”, Davies (pronounced more like Davis for us thick tongued yanks) played lots of acoustic guitar accompanied by a full backing band. Occasionally breaking into an “Oldie” and quipping about how an artist can not escape their back catalog, Ray seemed to enjoy being the only one calling the shots while performing standards like “Low Budget” and “All Day and All of the Night”. Davies performance was fun, yet you get the feeling that he’s a little bit aloof, a little above this outdoor summer concert in the Midwest. He’s entitled to that I guess, who among us could say we’ve written as many hit songs as he?
Sadly I must note two things:
1) Ray did not cover his Kinks hit and arguably most well known tune, “Lola.”
2) Ray did not come back to the stage for an encore despite the long and loud urgings of the audience. So two minor bits of criticism for an overall entertaining which entertained all, inspired me to buy a copy of “Lives’”, and left us all wanting for more. God bless Ray Davies and God bless rock n roll.
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